White begins and players move in turn. Each turn a player is allowed to make up to 4 steps, which must lead to at least one change in the position. However, White on his first turn may make no more than 2 steps.
A step may be one of the following:
- Moving a piece that does not control the Ball.
- Moving a piece that controls the Ball together with the Ball.
- Moving a piece (except for the Monkey) that controls the Ball and leaving the Ball behind.
- Shooting the Ball (by a piece controlling the Ball).
The pieces move and shoot as follows:
- The Horse moves as the knight in Chess, but may not jump to its target square if both intermediate squares are occupied by other pieces. A Horse shoots the Ball to any diagonally or orthogonally adjacent square. Note that a knight's move is always possible between a cornersquare of the goal and the backrow of the field on that side (for instance b2 and d1), because there are no two intermediate squares beween these squares.
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The highlighted Horse may move to any of the squares marked with yellow rings. The Horse cannot move to the upper right square marked with the red dot because both intermediate squares are occupied by other pieces. |
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The Horse may shoot the Ball to any of the marked squares. |
- The Elephant moves to any diagonally or orthogonally adjacent square. An Elephant shoots the Ball "knight's move" wise without any restrictions.
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The Elephant may move to any of the marked squares. |
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The Elephant may shoot the Ball to any of the marked squares. |
- The Lion combines the options of Horse and Elephant, so it moves and shoots the Ball either way in any combination. Using the "knight's move" it may not jump if both intermediate squares are occupied.
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The Lion may move to any of the marked squares. |
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The Lion may shoot the Ball to any of the marked squares. |
- The Monkey (Keeper) moves as a Lion, but it may not leave the "goal area" (except for the "goal" itself). A Monkey having the Ball cannot move leaving the Ball behind. A Monkey shoots the Ball in any straight direction up to five squares away. Direction and distance are the player's choice, but the Ball must land outside the "goal area".
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The Monkey may move to any of the marked squares. |
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The Monkey may shoot the Ball to any of the marked squares. Note that the Monkey can only shoot the Ball outside of the "goal area". |
A piece cannot move to a square occupied by a piece of the same player or by an opponent's piece that doesn't control the Ball. A piece can move to a square occupied by an opponent's piece controlling the Ball. In the latter case the opponent's piece is removed from the board and the player's piece takes control of the Ball.
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The White Horse may capture the Black Elephant and take control of the Ball. |
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After the move.
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When a piece moves to a square where the Ball is, the piece takes control of the Ball.
Note that if a piece controls the Ball, while still having two or more steps left in that turn, it may be able shoot the Ball to an opponent's piece and next capture that piece in the same turn!
Note also that the opponent's "goal" is a "safe zone" for player's pieces, i.e. the opponent cannot capture player's pieces in his own "goal": a player would have to shoot the Ball into his own "goal" to do so, and thus lose the game.
When the Ball lands (after a shooting) on a square occupied by a Monkey (of either color) the Ball "ricochets" off the Monkey in any straight direction up to five squares away, but not into the "goal" (though it may land in the "goal area"). Direction and distance are determined by the shooting player, whether the shot is directed at the player's own Monkey or the opponent's Monkey.
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The White Lion may shoot the Ball to the square occupied by the Black Monkey. |
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The Ball "ricochets" to any of the marked squares (decided by the White player).
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When the Ball lands (after a shooting or after the "ricochet") on a square occupied by a piece of either color, other than a Monkey, the piece takes control of the Ball.
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